Report
Table of Contents Introduction... 7 Survey Questions... 7 Candidate Information... 7 Survey System... 7 Candidate Responses... 7 Federal Position... 8 US Representative... 8 Drew A Layda (Libertarian / Pacific Green) 1st District (No Response Received)... 8 John Verbeek (Republican) 1st District (No Response Received)... 8 Suzanne Bonamici (Democrat / Independent) 1st District (No Response Received)... 8 Greg Walden (Republican) 2nd District (No Response Received)... 8 Jamie McLeod-Skinner (Democrat / Working Families) 2nd District (No Response Received)... 8 Mark R Roberts (Independent) 2nd District (No Response Received)... 8 Earl Blumenauer (Democrat) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 8 Gary Lyndon Dye (Libertarian) 3rd District... 8 Marc W Koller (Independent / Pacific Green / Progressive) 3rd District... 9 Michael Marsh (Constitution) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 10 Tom Harrison (Republican) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 10 Art Robinson (Constitution / Republican) 4th District (No Response Received)... 10 Mike Beilstein (Pacific Green) 4th District... 10 Peter DeFazio (Democrat / Independent / Progressive / Working Families) 4th District (No Response Received)... 11 Richard R Jacobson (Libertarian) 4th District... 11 Federal Position... 1 US Representative... 1 Dan Souza (Libertarian) 5th District... 1 Kurt Schrader (Democrat / Independent) 5th District (No Response Received)... 1 Mark Callahan (Republican) 5th District (No Response Received)... 1 Marvin Sandnes (Pacific Green) 5th District... 2 State Positions... 1 Governor... 1 Aaron Auer (Constitution) statewide... 1 Chris Henry (Progressive) statewide (No Response Received)... 2 Kate Brown (Democrat / Working Families) statewide... 2 Knute Buehler (Republican) statewide (No Response Received)... 3 Nick Chen (Libertarian) statewide (No Response Received)... 3 Patrick Starnes (Independent) statewide... 3 State Representative... 1 David Gomberg (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 10th District (No Response Received) 1 Thomas M Donohue (Republican) 10th District... 1 Mark F Herbert (Independent / Republican) 11th District (No Response Received)... 2 Marty Wilde (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 11th District... 2 John Lively (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 12th District (No Response Received)... 3 Page 2 of 54
Nancy Nathanson (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 13th District (No Response Received)... 3 Julie Fahey (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 14th District (No Response Received)... 3 Rich Cunningham (Republican) 14th District... 3 Cynthia Hyatt (Independent / Progressive) 15th District (No Response Received)... 3 Jerred Taylor (Democrat / Working Families) 15th District... 4 Shelly Boshart Davis (Republican) 15th District (No Response Received)... 5 Dan Rayfield (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 16th District (No Response Received)... 5 Renee Windsor-White (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 17th District... 5 Sherrie Sprenger (Independent / Republican) 17th District (No Response Received)... 6 Barry Shapiro (Democrat) 18th District... 6 Rick Lewis (Independent / Republican) 18th District (No Response Received)... 7 Denyc Nicole Boles (Independent / Republican) 19th District (No Response Received)... 7 Mike Ellison (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 19th District... 7 David Brock Smith (Independent / Republican) 1st District (No Response Received)... 8 Eldon Rollins (Democrat) 1st District... 8 Paul Evans (Democrat / Working Families) 20th District (No Response Received)... 9 Selma Pierce (Independent / Republican) 20th District (No Response Received)... 9 Brian Clem (Democrat / Independent / Libertarian) 21st District (No Response Received)... 9 Jack L Esp (Republican) 21st District... 9 Marty Heyen (Independent / Republican) 22nd District (No Response Received)... 10 Teresa Alonso Leon (Democrat / Working Families) 22nd District... 10 Danny Jaffer (Democrat / Independent / Pacific Green / Progressive / Working Families) 23rd District... 11 Mark Karnowski (Libertarian) 23rd District (No Response Received)... 12 Mike Nearman (Republican) 23rd District (No Response Received)... 12 Ken Moore (Democrat / Working Families) 24th District... 13 Ron Noble (Independent / Republican) 24th District (No Response Received)... 13 Bill Post (Independent / Libertarian / Republican) 25th District (No Response Received)... 13 Dave McCall (Democrat) 25th District (No Response Received)... 13 Courtney Neron (Democrat) 26th District (No Response Received)... 13 Rich Vial (Independent / Republican) 26th District (No Response Received)... 13 Tim E Nelson (Libertarian) 26th District... 14 Brian Pierson (Independent / Republican) 27th District (No Response Received)... 14 Katy Brumbelow (Libertarian) 27th District... 14 Sheri Malstrom (Democrat / Working Families) 27th District (No Response Received)... 15 Jeff Barker (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 28th District (No Response Received)... 15 Lars D H Hedbor (Libertarian) 28th District (No Response Received)... 15 David Molina (Independent / Republican) 29th District (No Response Received)... 15 Susan McLain (Democrat) 29th District (No Response Received)... 15 Susan McLain (Working Families) 29th District (No Response Received)... 16 William A Namestnik (Libertarian) 29th District (No Response Received)... 16 Gary Leif (Republican) 2nd District (No Response Received)... 16 Megan Salter (Democrat) 2nd District (No Response Received)... 16 Dorothy Merritt (Republican) 30th District... 16 Janeen Sollman (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 30th District (No Response Received)... 16 Kyle Markley (Libertarian) 30th District (No Response Received)... 16 Page 3 of 54
Brad Witt (Democrat) 31st District (No Response Received)... 17 Brian G Stout (Independent / Republican) 31st District (No Response Received)... 17 Brian P Halvorsen (Independent / Progressive) 32nd District (No Response Received)... 17 Randell Carlson (Libertarian) 32nd District... 17 Tiffiny K Mitchell (Democrat / Working Families) 32nd District... 18 Vineeta Lower (Republican) 32nd District... 19 Elizabeth Reye (Libertarian / Republican) 33rd District (No Response Received)... 20 Mitch Greenlick (Democrat / Independent) 33rd District (No Response Received)... 20 Joshua Ryan Johnston (Libertarian) 34th District... 20 Ken Helm (Democrat / Independent) 34th District (No Response Received)... 21 Michael Ngo (Republican) 34th District (No Response Received)... 21 Bob Niemeyer (Independent / Republican) 35th District... 21 Margaret Doherty (Democrat / Working Families) 35th District (No Response Received)... 22 Jennifer Williamson (Democrat / Working Families) 36th District (No Response Received)... 22 Julie Parrish (Independent / Republican) 37th District (No Response Received)... 22 Rachel Prusak (Democrat / Working Families) 37th District (No Response Received)... 22 Andrea Salinas (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 38th District... 22 Christine Drazan (Libertarian / Republican) 39th District (No Response Received)... 23 Elizabeth Graser-Lindsey (Democrat / Independent) 39th District (No Response Received)... 23 Carl Wilson (Independent / Republican) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 23 Jerry Morgan (Democrat) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 23 Josh Hill (Republican) 40th District (No Response Received)... 23 Mark Meek (Democrat / Working Families) 40th District (No Response Received)... 23 Karin Power (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 41st District (No Response Received)... 23 Bruce Alexander Knight (Libertarian) 42nd District... 23 Rob Nosse (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 42nd District (No Response Received)... 24 Tawna Sanchez (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 43rd District (No Response Received)... 24 Manny Guerra (Libertarian) 44th District... 24 Tina Kotek (Democrat / Working Families) 44th District (No Response Received)... 25 Barbara Smith Warner (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 45th District (No Response Received)... 25 Alissa Keny-Guyer (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 46th District (No Response Received)... 25 Diego Hernandez (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 47th District... 25 Jeff Reardon (Democrat) 48th District (No Response Received)... 26 Sonny Yellott (Republican) 48th District (No Response Received)... 26 Chris Gorsek (Democrat / Working Families) 49th District (No Response Received)... 26 Heather Ricks (Libertarian) 49th District (No Response Received)... 26 Justin Hwang (Independent / Republican) 49th District (No Response Received)... 26 Duane A Stark (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 4th District (No Response Received)... 26 Carla C Piluso (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 50th District (No Response Received). 26 Janelle S Bynum (Democrat / Working Families) 51st District (No Response Received)... 26 Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Independent / Libertarian / Republican) 51st District... 26 Anna Williams (Democrat / Working Families) 52nd District (No Response Received)... 27 Jeff Helfrich (Independent / Republican) 52nd District (No Response Received)... 27 Eileen Kiely (Democrat) 53rd District (No Response Received)... 27 Jack Zika (Independent / Republican) 53rd District (No Response Received)... 27 Page 4 of 54
Amanda La Bell (Progressive / Working Families) 54th District (No Response Received)... 27 Cheri Helt (Independent / Republican) 54th District (No Response Received)... 27 Nathan K Boddie (Democrat) 54th District (No Response Received)... 27 Karen Rippberger (Democrat / Working Families) 55th District (No Response Received)... 28 Mike McLane (Independent / Republican) 55th District (No Response Received)... 28 E Werner Reschke (Independent / Libertarian / Republican) 56th District (No Response Received).. 28 Taylor Tupper (Democrat) 56th District (No Response Received)... 28 Greg Smith (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 57th District (No Response Received)... 28 Greg Barreto (Democrat / Republican) 58th District (No Response Received)... 28 Skye Farnam (Independent) 58th District (No Response Received)... 28 Daniel G Bonham (Independent / Republican) 59th District (No Response Received)... 28 Darcy Long-Curtiss (Democrat / Working Families) 59th District (No Response Received)... 28 Pam Marsh (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 5th District (No Response Received)... 28 Sandra A Abercrombie (Republican) 5th District (No Response Received)... 28 Lynn P Findley (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 60th District (No Response Received)... 28 Kim Wallan (Independent / Republican) 6th District (No Response Received)... 28 Michelle Blum Atkinson (Democrat / Working Families) 6th District (No Response Received)... 28 Cedric Hayden (Independent / Republican) 7th District (No Response Received)... 28 Christy Inskip (Democrat / Working Families) 7th District... 28 Martha Sherwood (Libertarian) 8th District (No Response Received)... 31 Paul R Holvey (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 8th District (No Response Received)... 31 Caddy McKeown (Democrat) 9th District (No Response Received)... 31 Teri Grier (Independent / Libertarian / Republican) 9th District (No Response Received)... 31 State Positions... 31 State Senator... 31 Deb Patterson (Democrat / Working Families) 10th District (No Response Received)... 31 Jackie F Winters (Independent / Republican) 10th District (No Response Received)... 31 Greg Warnock (Independent / Republican) 11th District (No Response Received)... 31 Peter Courtney (Democrat / Working Families) 11th District (No Response Received)... 31 Kim Thatcher (Independent / Libertarian / Republican) 13th District... 31 Sarah Grider (Democrat / Working Families) 13th District (No Response Received)... 32 Alexander Flores (Independent / Republican) 15th District (No Response Received)... 32 Chuck Riley (Democrat / Working Families) 15th District... 32 Betsy Johnson (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 16th District (No Response Received)... 33 Ray Biggs (Constitution) 16th District (No Response Received)... 33 Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 17th District (No Response Received)... 33 David C Poulson (Independent / Republican) 19th District (No Response Received)... 33 Rob Wagner (Democrat / Working Families) 19th District... 33 Dallas Heard (Republican) 1st District (No Response Received)... 34 Shannon Souza (Democrat / Working Families) 1st District (No Response Received)... 34 Alan R Olsen (Independent / Republican) 20th District (No Response Received)... 34 Charles Gallia (Democrat / Working Families) 20th District... 34 Kenny Sernach (Libertarian) 20th District (No Response Received)... 35 Shemia Fagan (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 24th District (No Response Received) 35 Chrissy Reitz (Democrat / Working Families) 26th District (No Response Received)... 35 Chuck Thomsen (Independent / Republican) 26th District (No Response Received)... 35 Page 5 of 54
Cliff Bentz (Republican) 30th District (No Response Received)... 35 Solea Kabakov (Democrat) 30th District (No Response Received)... 35 Jeff Golden (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 35 Jessica Gomez (Independent / Republican) 3rd District (No Response Received)... 35 Floyd Prozanski (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 4th District (No Response Received) 35 Frank L Lengele Jr (Libertarian) 4th District (No Response Received)... 35 Scott Rohter (Constitution / Republican) 4th District (No Response Received)... 36 Lee L Beyer (Democrat) 6th District (No Response Received)... 36 Robert Schwartz (Republican) 6th District... 36 James I Manning Jr (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 7th District... 36 Bryan Eggiman (Libertarian) 8th District... 37 Erik S Parks (Republican) 8th District (No Response Received)... 38 Sara A Gelser (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 8th District (No Response Received)... 38 Page 6 of 54
Introduction Survey Questions The (PAC) formulated a list of ten (10) survey questions. Of these questions, 9 are close-ended (Support / Oppose or Yes/No) responses, each with additional comments (up to 4,000 characters) so the candidate could provide comments that show their strength of their response, or conditions that must exist to hold that position, or provide other opinions on the given topic. Our list of questions is as follows: 1. Do you support or oppose requiring the PEBB board to be more responsive to the health care needs of the public employees they serve? 2. Do you support or oppose making Oregon a Right To Work state? 3. Do you support or oppose continued reforms to PERS? 4. Do you support or oppose a legislative funding package for state transportation 5. Do you support or oppose a wage increase for public employees? 6. What transportation issue would you like to see addressed most? 7. Are you in favor of using consultants to perform normal ODOT work? 8. Are you in favor of using temporary workers to perform normal ODOT work in lieu of hiring new employees? 9. Do you support or oppose the right of public employees to strike? 10. Do you support or oppose improving the transparency of state contracting? Of these questions, only question 6 did not have an additional comments option because it is an open-ended question. Candidate Information Qualifying candidate information including name, position, area, party, and email was provided by the Oregon Secretary of State ORESTAR system that contains all state candidate filings. Survey System The system used to collect candidate responses was a Software As A Service (SAAS) provider named Survey Methods (www.surveymethods.com). The survey was constructed with the following rules: 1. All questions had to be answered (except for optional additional comments). 2. Only candidates who were invited could answer. a. Unique web links would be sent to each candidate to enter the survey b. Once a survey was completed, it could not be re-entered. 3. Candidates would be allowed to enter responses into the survey for 15 days (Sept 23rd through Oct 8th) 4. For respondents who had not provided responses, reminder emails would be sent on a scheduled basis. Candidate Responses Of the 177 candidates who were invited, 42 completed the survey by the close of our survey. For candidates who answered the survey, full questions with the candidates responses as entered are provided. For candidates that did not complete the survey, they are listed simply with a (No Response Received). Page 7 of 54
Federal Position US Representative Drew A Layda (Libertarian / Pacific Green) 1st District (No Response Received) John Verbeek (Republican) 1st District (No Response Received) Suzanne Bonamici (Democrat / Independent) 1st District (No Response Received) Greg Walden (Republican) 2nd District (No Response Received) Jamie McLeod-Skinner (Democrat / Working Families) 2nd District (No Response Received) Mark R Roberts (Independent) 2nd District (No Response Received) Earl Blumenauer (Democrat) 3rd District (No Response Received) Gary Lyndon Dye (Libertarian) 3rd District We need to privatize the healthcare industry. Market forces would drastically reduce bloated salaries, Efficiencies would be introduced, and transparency of cost. Nonmandated, private insurance and voluntary charity would take care of the misfortunate. Unionization should be voluntary. The problem with unionization is when government gets involved, and allows force to be introduced to negotiations. The PERS contract can be broken for any number of valid reasons, according to existing contract law. The State continues to waste their current funding on non-essential projects. The State currently taxes too much in general. Government is too big. It has too many employees. It taxes too much. A good way to reduce the number of employees is to freeze salaries such that employees choose to accept jobs elsewhere, reducing the payroll. Answer: Remove the government-mandated monopolization of mass transit. Government's role would be reduced to one that fills in the gaps where private industry refuses to participate. Answer: Yes Private industry produces better employees than government. The product of private consultants would probably be performed quicker, better, and at lower cost than if it were performed in-house. Page 8 of 54
Answer: Yes I would want the work performed at least cost. I would also support the repeal of prevailing-wage laws (workers must be paid at union rates). A strike must not affect citizens who have been mandated to use those government services affected by the strike. Teachers can't strike. We need privatize the schools and fund the students/parents with vouchers and education savings accounts. Taxpayers need to know the contracts that their government representatives are obligating them to. Marc W Koller (Independent / Pacific Green / Progressive) 3rd District Answer: Extending train service to Vancouver WA Page 9 of 54
Michael Marsh (Constitution) 3rd District (No Response Received) Tom Harrison (Republican) 3rd District (No Response Received) Art Robinson (Constitution / Republican) 4th District (No Response Received) Mike Beilstein (Pacific Green) 4th District All citizens, including public employees, deserve affordable access to high quality health care. I support national Improved Medicare for All legislation. I strongly support unionized workers. We need to make it easier, not harder for workers to organize. The only honest solution for PERS under-funding is for the legislature to allocate adequate funds to make up the deficit. Closing the Oregon corporate tax loopholes could fund the added expense. State transportation funding must focus on efficient travel including rail and inter-city transit. All workers deserve a living wage. Answer: Climate change is the most important issue facing all of human society. In transportation, this means we are obliged to meet transportation needs efficiently. Providing adequate inter-city transport and accessible transportation for rural areas is essential. Answer: Yes Only when ODOT does not have the talent. In general I do not support outsourcing of work. Out-sourcing should be rare. It should never be used to reduce labor costs. Page 10 of 54
No one likes a strike, but sometimes it is the only way to achieve justice for workers. Citizens should never be in the dark about government contracts. Peter DeFazio (Democrat / Independent / Progressive / Working Families) 4th District (No Response Received) Richard R Jacobson (Libertarian) 4th District Answer: Additional free-market reforms to insure that all individuals have the right to choose those transportation options that work best for them. Answer: Yes Answer: Yes Page 11 of 54
Federal Position US Representative Dan Souza (Libertarian) 5th District Answer: We just need a better and updated transportation system. Kurt Schrader (Democrat / Independent) 5th District (No Response Received) Mark Callahan (Republican) 5th District (No Response Received) Page 1 of 54
Marvin Sandnes (Pacific Green) 5th District Answer: High Speed Rail on I-5 Answer: Yes Page 2 of 54
State Positions Governor Aaron Auer (Constitution) statewide but only a little! I would have checked neither if that had been an option. By the way the word board is redundant as that is what the second 'B' stands for. All the fuel and weight-mile taxes should be used for construction and maintenance of the road systems. Private sector employees and self employed individuals have had very little (if any) wage increases for a long time, except for minimum wage employees. Public employees shouldn't be better off than their employers, i.e., John Q Public. Answer: Bridge safety should have higher priority than smooth roads. Traffic controlled lights should have priority over cameras at intersections. Increased traffic capacity for heavy flow areas. The only exception would be when the Department personel are already overbooked, as it would eliminate the hiring of more full time employees for part time needs. Answer: Yes The exception would be when the long term need for that position could be foreseen. Private sector employees and self employed individuals have had very little (if any) wage increases for a long time, except for minimum wage employees. Public employees shouldn't be better off than their employers, i.e., John Q Public. Fringe benefits are almost non existent most non public employees. The public employees have everything and still seem dissatisfied. The taxpayers have little and are losing even that. Page 1 of 54
Chris Henry (Progressive) statewide (No Response Received) Kate Brown (Democrat / Working Families) statewide If you have specific concerns please let me or my staff know. Public employees have sacrificed pay increases and agreed to sign PERS reforms in the past. I'm grateful for all the times public employees have stepped up to help us balance the budget. We can't break our promise to retirees, and I do not support taking away benefits from retirees. We also have to get PERS costs under control and pay the debt we owe. That's why in 2018 I championed the bill to get more money into the PERS system while continuing to look at the ways to stabilize PERS costs while maintaining the commitment to our public employees and retirees. Answer: A comprehensive set of multimodal solutions to address congestion on our roadways. Answer: Yes I support this in instances where it is warranted (for example, not enough public employees are available). Our frontline workers know best when we're not doing a good enough job on transparency. I'm always happy to hear your feedback. Page 2 of 54
Knute Buehler (Republican) statewide (No Response Received) Nick Chen (Libertarian) statewide (No Response Received) Patrick Starnes (Independent) statewide Answer: I would like to lead the effort to develop electric highways and more public transit. Page 3 of 54
State Representative David Gomberg (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 10th District (No Response Received) Thomas M Donohue (Republican) 10th District With the recent US Supreme Court "Janus" decision, Public Employee Unions are now basically in a "Right To Work" status. Other unions, especially trade unions that offer apprentice programs affiliated with local Community Colleges have my support as they offer an opportunity to those that can't afford a 4 year college education. There is a place in America for unions but public employee unions are not responsive to the "Public's" interests; ie. the taxpayers. The 6% employee contribution paid by the state was a negotiated benefit, I believe, in the '70s that should be re-negotiated so that employees pay into their own pensions. To make it easier for public employees to bear that new burden, it can be fazed in 2% per year for 3 years. Also, all new public employee hires should be offered a 401K type of pension completely separate from the current PERS Tier 1 / Tier 2 / IAP system. I agree that our transportation system needs extra money but the Legislature just put through a transportation package with some of the highest gas taxes in the nation. We are currently spending $10 Billion more than we are taking in, in taxes and fees. We need to make state government more efficient first. We are currently spending $10 Billion more than we are taking in on taxes and fees. PERS also has a $25 Billion unfunded liability. Answer: Rural road systems desperately need help from Salem. Answer: Yes Page 1 of 54
Absolutely support. Mark F Herbert (Independent / Republican) 11th District (No Response Received) Marty Wilde (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 11th District I oppose Measure 106, which would limit public employee reproductive health choices. The current PERS liability is mostly due to people already in retirement, whose benefits are locked in. For current employees, there may be a few minor changes to rein in certain outlier practices (most of these have already been corrected), but not large scale changes (which are almost certainly illegal). We would need to link this to a study of compensation for comparable private sector jobs (when such exist). Answer: Earthquake safety - our current transportation system would almost certainly not withstand a significant Cascadia Subduction Zone quake. I support their right to strike, outside of critical public safety fields. Page 2 of 54
John Lively (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 12th District (No Response Received) Nancy Nathanson (Democrat / Independent / Republican / Working Families) 13th District (No Response Received) Julie Fahey (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 14th District (No Response Received) Rich Cunningham (Republican) 14th District I am somewhat unsure on this but lean toward supporting the labor unions position Answer: Condition of overpass bridges over highways and waterways Cynthia Hyatt (Independent / Progressive) 15th District (No Response Received) Page 3 of 54
Jerred Taylor (Democrat / Working Families) 15th District Protecting workers' rights to collectively bargain is extremely important, now more than ever. We must ensure that workers have the ability and to bargain fair contracts, without interference, and that requires having resources available to do that. Our campaign strongly stands by PERS, and will not support any effort to cut benefits for current or future employees. We believe we need to build consensus over a larger tax reform package to cover Oregon's budget, including the PERS liability. We should not be balancing the budget on the backs of our public employees. Making improvements to our infrastructure requires investment. The package passed by the legislature in the last session helps fund necessary projects across the state, as well as some key safety improvements in our district. I would like to see this continue, including more investment to expanding public transportation and to increase capacity on some of our more congested highways. Public employees oftentimes make significantly less than their peers in the private sector, and their benefits (the promises we make in lieu of pay) are under constant attack. We are fully supportive of workers, and will help fight for family-wage compensation. Answer: With the rapid growth we are seeing in our district, we have been seeing impacts on the capacity of our roads and bridges. I would like to see improvements to keep our residents moving, including more public transportation options, and expansion of current routes, or construction of new ones. I would love to work with AEEO to figure out ways to make this happen. I am generally opposed to bringing in sub-contractors for public projects, especially in instances when we have a dedicated department of professionals who can do those jobs. We should not be sub-contracting out as a means of saving costs unless there is a very specific reason. I would like to hear more about what types of instances this occurs with. We should be fully staffing our agencies with staff that can learn the ways of the road, so to speak. There is a wealth of value in retaining workers who gain experience. Oftentimes, temporary employees are used a way to prevent payment of benefits, but have a longer term cost in lost expertise. I am fully supportive of hiring in lieu of temporary employees for regular work. Page 4 of 54
Employees should be able to use every tool in their toolbox to bargain a fair contract. I am in full agreement that employees have a right to strike. Understanding where public dollars are going, and why they going to specific contractors is important. We need more transparency to make sure these dollars aren't being spent at the detriment of public employees. Shelly Boshart Davis (Republican) 15th District (No Response Received) Dan Rayfield (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 16th District (No Response Received) Renee Windsor-White (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 17th District As a former beneficiary of PEBB, I believe that their board does need to be more responsive to the health care needs of public employees. More information about both what is available from PEBB and what its limitations are would be helpful. I believe that since all workers in a particular organization benefit from the work and negotiations performed on their behalf by a union, asking that non-union members pay dues is not a hardship or unfair practice. I believe that if I am going to benefit from anything (be it roads, education, street lights, etc.) then I should pay my fair share for the creation and upkeep of that benefit. As someone who both benefits from PERS (yes, I am a TIER ONE "problem child" as an 18 year public employee) and has worked at a community college struggling to pay their Unfunded Actuarial Liability, I understand both sides of this situation. I think that we must continue to make sure that PERS is funded for all its retirees, but not at the expense of public employees who have paid, or will pay, into that retirement system. I understand that attempts have been made to counter the unsupportable guaranteed 8% (including moving to IAPs and other means). I believe that *that* kind of reform must continue in order to support our public employees in their retirement. I definitely support this. One of my platform issues is more infrastructure spending and support in rural areas. Transportation and other infrastructure creation and repair can too often be focused on Portland and other larger cities in Oregon, to the exclusion of work that needs to be done in small towns and rural areas. I would sponsor and support such a package, with funds to be distributed throughout the state. Answer: Conversion of all public transportation and state vehicles from fossil fuels to clean energy fuels. Page 5 of 54
Using consultants to perform *normal* ODOT work sounds like farming out work to temporary workers to avoid hiring permanent workers, which I totally disagree with. It's also an oxymoron since "consultants" are, as defined by Business Dictionary, "Experienced professionals who provide expert knowledge (often packaged under a catchy name) for a fee. He or she works in an advisory capacity only and is usually not accountable for the outcome of a consulting exercise." I am absolutely in favor of greater transparency in state contracting. If both the state and the contracting companies are working as they ought to, there should be no problem with being open and above board about the contracts and the work being done. Sherrie Sprenger (Independent / Republican) 17th District (No Response Received) Barry Shapiro (Democrat) 18th District I fully support our unions in opposition to any union bustig measures. Like many others, I believe PERS is a good but flawed system. Unlike my opponent, I am not blaming PERS for our education shortfall. I do think paying out nearly a million dollars a year to a retired football coach and physicians is an abuse of the system and needs to be reformed. We need to work to improve our aging infrastructure, including bridges and roads. We also need to imporove and expand public transportation in order to reduce our reliance on private auto travel. I support public employees maintaining a wage parity with the private sector in order to continue to attract the best candidates for public positions. Page 6 of 54
Answer: It is next to impossible to drive in Portland, and it's only getting worse. We need to make TriMet and other public transpoirtation services safe and efficient. We also need to establish new and upgrade existing public transportation options in cities outside the metro Portland area, like Eugene, Corvallis and Salem, among others. I also think it is high time we replace the 100+ year old Portland - Vancouver bridge. Normal ODOT work needs to be performed by ODOT employees, not outside consultants. As a supporter of our unions, I would insist on public employees' right to strike. Rick Lewis (Independent / Republican) 18th District (No Response Received) Denyc Nicole Boles (Independent / Republican) 19th District (No Response Received) Mike Ellison (Democrat / Progressive / Working Families) 19th District Employer provided health insurance should, at the very least, meet the needs of everyone who receives it. Further, I believe we can create a system of health care that meets the needs of all Oregonians. I wholeheartedly oppose right to work legislation. As a proud union tradesman, I will do everything I can to educate the public on this awful policy idea. Public employee compensation needs to be comparable to that of private sector employees. Page 7 of 54
Answer: When speaking to voters in my district, the issue that often comes up is the lack of public transit. Of course, ensuring that our transportation infrastructure is safe and reliable is also a very high priority. Generally, I oppose the privatization of public services. David Brock Smith (Independent / Republican) 1st District (No Response Received) Eldon Rollins (Democrat) 1st District I should point out that I'm not entirely sure what the "PEBB" board actually is, but since I'm altogether in favor of being responsive to health care needs, I'm generally in favor of these sorts of things. I'm not sure where the reform situation stands currently. My understanding is there are some people who get huge pensions. I would like to know more about that. I don't know how much public employees make currently. Answer: Infrastructure repair. Page 8 of 54
I have no idea. Consultants consulting about what? I wasn't aware consultants actually work. Paul Evans (Democrat / Working Families) 20th District (No Response Received) Selma Pierce (Independent / Republican) 20th District (No Response Received) Brian Clem (Democrat / Independent / Libertarian) 21st District (No Response Received) Jack L Esp (Republican) 21st District After 40+ years in the healthcare field it is my belief that the healthcare needs of all individuals is of critical concern of each individual as well as the government officials. Each individual has the god given right to employment in order to support themselves and their families without having to pay another individual or organization for that opportunity. PERS needs to be reformed without over affecting those close to retirement. While I support a review and revision of PERS I also feel that those close to retirement must be protected as their time to make necessary adjustments to their retirement plans are insufficient to make the necessary revisions. Those younger individuals will possess sufficient time providing the revisions are properly addressed. As stated I must oppose any legislative package without knowing what is included in the package regarding state transportation or any other subject. This should be addressed on an individual basis evaluating the tenure and expertise of the employee concerned regarding the salary level experienced in the private sector. Page 9 of 54
Answer: My first requirement is that the current transportation functions must be maintained and be brought up to original standards prior to any consideration of additional projects. This includes bridges be retrofitted to pass current earthquake standards as well as flood requirements. After we have addressed these matters we need to address the high traffic areas and mass transportation. Answer: Yes Normal everyday functions should be performed by the full-time employees within ODOT. While we cannot employ the all of the experts, in all sections of the ODOT functions and where we do not have that expertise we must seek consultant expertise outside of the ODOT department. Answer: Yes Providing the fact that that the position is that of a short term duration. These temporary employees should be given preference in permeate positions as they become available. In non essential positions only do I support the right to strike. Essential positions were accepted with the understanding that they continue despite disagreements. Negotiations must continue on these positions until the despite can be resolved. Nonessential positions should possess the right to strike. As it is the public money that is being expended to fulfill the activities I feel that the public should have full disclosure in what the contract states and what is being spent to exercise the completion. Marty Heyen (Independent / Republican) 22nd District (No Response Received) Teresa Alonso Leon (Democrat / Working Families) 22nd District Page 10 of 54
Answer: Oregon families deserve safe and well-maintained roads and bridges. I support provisions to ensure any investments in transportation also create good-paying jobs for working Oregonians. We also need to be sure the needs of low-income communities are considered in the framework of a transportation package. I look forward to hearing about the proposals made by the AEE to keep up with infrastructure maintenance and the important new projects that keep our communities moving. ODOT jobs are solid family wage jobs and Oregonians rely on them to support their families. I think it's important to invest in our infrastructure and make the changes we need so that our citizens can go about their daily lives, and get the education, healthcare and services they need. ODOT employees make this possible that is why we need to make sure that ODOT employees are being put to work in jobs that benefit our communities or that we hire more ODOT employees to perform normal ODOT work. Again, I believe we should continue to invest in the workforce development we have created in Oregon and expand good paying jobs so that new and temporary workers can receive all of the benefits of being a state worker. Any temporary worker should be associated with ODOT and not contracted through an outside source. Temporary jobs should be included in this workforce and there should be active measures to transition temporary workers to full time positions. As a former state employee I have experienced what gridlock looks like when their are new hiring freezes. Government functions at a slower rate and current employees are saddled with additional work that they can not accomplish in a reasonable time frame. We need to insure that ODOT jobs are valued and continue to represent a good paying wage and a path towards economic stability for the families who currently rely on ODOT jobs and for the workers who are willing to join ODOT. Danny Jaffer (Democrat / Independent / Pacific Green / Progressive / Working Families) 23rd District In general I support all measures that help ensure a quality, cost effective, healthy state work force. Meeting the health needs of public employees is critical to their long term dedication to service. Page 11 of 54
This course of action drives a race to the bottom. I strongly oppose cutting benefits. "Continued reforms" really depends on the type of reforms proposed. Some reforms may be beneficial. They don't all have to be bad. Programs that help to increase funding going in in order to meet liabilities should be looked at and discussed. In general, yes, I support wage increases for everyone. Average worker pay has not kept pace with the economy. Answer: Safety improvements on major state highways, like 99W, such as turning lanes and pull outs in the rural areas. Ways to relieve congestion, and encourage more multi-use transportation. Also, attention to bridges in the state system. It really depends on what is meant by "normal ODOT work". For day to day operations, the answer is no. If there is a requirement for expertise that does not exist in the department, then utilizing a consultant might be the best course of action. Mark Karnowski (Libertarian) 23rd District (No Response Received) Mike Nearman (Republican) 23rd District (No Response Received) Page 12 of 54
Ken Moore (Democrat / Working Families) 24th District Contracts must be honored and continued examination for opportunities relief for schools and municipalities is appropriate. Answer: Strengthen strategic bridges for earthquake. Ron Noble (Independent / Republican) 24th District (No Response Received) Bill Post (Independent / Libertarian / Republican) 25th District (No Response Received) Dave McCall (Democrat) 25th District (No Response Received) Courtney Neron (Democrat) 26th District (No Response Received) Rich Vial (Independent / Republican) 26th District (No Response Received) Page 13 of 54
Tim E Nelson (Libertarian) 26th District Answer: ban studded tires Answer: Yes Answer: Yes Brian Pierson (Independent / Republican) 27th District (No Response Received) Katy Brumbelow (Libertarian) 27th District The right answer is probably to be more responsive to the health care needs, but I have found that individuals need to advocate for their own health care and the farther they are removed from their care providers, the less responsive the health care system tends to be. Page 14 of 54
Employees should always have the option of opting out of unions. This makes unions more accountable to their members. If those reforms including scaling back the system or simplifying it, and making it more accountable to the taxpayers who are footing the bill, I support such reforms. If that package improves accountability to the taxpayers for funding transportation projects, I would support such a measure, provided it did not include a tax increase but rather allocated dollars from the general fund to be specifically dedicated to transportation. If a public employee performs well, they should receive a pay increase. Answer: the accessibility of train travel - introduction of alternatives to Amtrak - as a means of reducing stress on highway and interstate roads. Answer: Yes ODOT should have the freedom to use consultants to perform normal work especially if it improves efficiency of projects. Answer: Yes A lot of ODOT work is seasonal in nature and therefore hiring temporary workers seems logical. A person should always have the right to protest unfair or unsafe work conditions. I do think that striking should be a last resort however, as it can put the public, whom the employees are serving, at risk. Improving transparency in this state is always a priority. Anytime a contract is fulfilled, the public should have access to those records since it is their taxes that go to fund the projects, whether they are completed by private or public entities. Sheri Malstrom (Democrat / Working Families) 27th District (No Response Received) Jeff Barker (Democrat / Independent / Republican) 28th District (No Response Received) Lars D H Hedbor (Libertarian) 28th District (No Response Received) David Molina (Independent / Republican) 29th District (No Response Received) Susan McLain (Democrat) 29th District (No Response Received) Page 15 of 54
Susan McLain (Working Families) 29th District (No Response Received) William A Namestnik (Libertarian) 29th District (No Response Received) Gary Leif (Republican) 2nd District (No Response Received) Megan Salter (Democrat) 2nd District (No Response Received) Dorothy Merritt (Republican) 30th District Answer: Congestion on Hwy 26, 217th and tributaries such as Pacific Hwy in Tigard Answer: Yes Not sure. Need more information Answer: Yes Janeen Sollman (Democrat / Independent / Working Families) 30th District (No Response Received) Kyle Markley (Libertarian) 30th District (No Response Received) Page 16 of 54
Brad Witt (Democrat) 31st District (No Response Received) Brian G Stout (Independent / Republican) 31st District (No Response Received) Brian P Halvorsen (Independent / Progressive) 32nd District (No Response Received) Randell Carlson (Libertarian) 32nd District I support the freedom for people to be able to market themselves as best they can. This also means that businesses are free (unless under contract) to select from the open market of people to best hire what is needed, as needed. Changes definitely need to be made! But only if we can change the system to make efficient. Currently we have many state agencies doing what private sector companies can do for cheaper. I'm not in favor of increasing wages if we cant change the system- it only costs the taxpayer more for the same amount of work. Lets make it efficient, using contractors where cost wise it makes sense to. Then we can justify those jobs and make the wages competitive. Answer: Finding ways to increase the maintenance budgets for Roads and Bridges is a needed topic. We need to find better ways to be able to increase these funding areas, but not by raising taxes. Answer: Yes Answer: Yes Government departments need to operate profitably, or else we just keep running into the same shortfalls. If this method proves to be a workable solution for certain areas, then I am all for this. Page 17 of 54
Its the Peoples money. Government needs to be accountable for the choices and budgets they create. Being transparent and empowered to make smarter choices should be the focus towards Public offices. We need to start thinking outside the box to enable better service to the clients, more responsive and empowered in its resolutions to situations as they come up and better positional responsibility -with people being held accountable to the choices they make. Tiffiny K Mitchell (Democrat / Working Families) 32nd District Everyone knows that something has to be done in Oregon to address the unfunded liability created by the PERS program and payouts to retirees. That said, I do not believe the State of Oregon should attempt to solve this problem by vilifying past, current, and future public sector employees' ability to have a secure retirement and making further cuts to a system that is already limping along. While there are certainly some examples of massive monthly payouts to a select few, the average check cut to a public sector retiree is modest.and reflective of the bargain employees made when they started in the public sector--the commitment to take an initially lower working pay in exchange for a secure retirement. It would be not only unethical and unfair to walk back on promises made to these employees--it would be inhumane. And, if that moral obligation weren't enough--the Moro decision also creates a legal duty to continue to pay on pensions to Tier 1 and Tier 2 public sector PERS retirees. And, since the bulk of the problem are those payouts to Tier 1 and Tier 2 employees, reforms have already been made to prevent the same type of agreement when it comes to the payout of Tier 3 employees (who also have to pay into their pensions at 6%/check). Given that reforms have already been made to the system--further "reform" to the PERS system would likely be ineffective and only really serve to further the agenda of continuing to make public service a continually less desirable career path for qualified individuals. Taking this stance, however, does not minimize my commitment to wanting to help Oregon solve its crisis when it comes to the unfunded liability. I am also not blind to the fact that it will take a significant amount of compromise from all different sides of the table. I believe we have the will as a state to find creative solutions to this issue, however--and that those solutions do not need to include penalizing people who choose to dedicate their lives to public service. Answer: I would personally like to see more of a commitment from the state to servicing the transportation infrastructure of our rural communities. The coastal region of House District 32 often Page 18 of 54
feels left behind in many respects--and so seeing a commitment to working on Highway 30 and Highway 26--the two main roads used to access the tourist destinations of our district--would meaningfully help my district. As the vice-chair of SEIU 503's sub-local 201, I support without question the ability of public employees to strike. As union members, they have the right to have a seat at the bargaining table when it comes to ensuring they have fair wages and conditions for their work. They also have the right to walk away from that table and strike when an equitable and fair contract cannot be negotiated. I believe all union employees should have this right. And--that said--i believe more unions in the American labor landscape would also benefit all workers, regardless of their work sites. Vineeta Lower (Republican) 32nd District Support but need additional information to make an informed decision. Answer: The North Coast has many needs in its infrastructure including alternate trucking routes in Astoria, culvert clearing and/or replacement, additional turn lanes in certain locations potential roundabouts, seismic retrofitting at some locations on Hwy 26, Seaside has bridges that need to be seismically retrofitted for emergency evacuation. Hwy 6 needs cellular service on top on the pass for emergencies. There is a lot of needs on the North Coast and these address only a few. Page 19 of 54